Discord High CPU usage on Windows [100% Working Fix 2024]

Written By Steven Arends

Discord is a popular app for communicating with your gaming community and friends. All praise the platform, but it has some issues that lead to irritation for users. It consumes a higher CPU usage while running and makes your processes lag.

I have encountered this problem, and I have found the fixes too. Before solving this issue, you need to know:

Why is Discord using so much CPU?

Discord uses a higher CPU by putting too much pressure on the processor or only because it has some malware problems. Other problems like hardware acceleration, background processes, and faulty apps can spike the CPU usage too.

Keep on reading, As I will discuss the 100% fixes about the problems. You will be able to solve your problem because of it.fix-discord-high-cpu-usage

Will 100% CPU Usage of Discord Damage your PC?

Stressing out your CPU is not always recommended because it can only take so much. If your CPU continuously uses a higher usage rate, it might crash or show choppy results while using Discord. It hampers your CPU and its processes immensely.discord-high-cpu

Whenever you see your processes or games start being choppy, the chances are that your CPU is stressed too much, and it can not execute properly. Too many background processes and abnormal CPU usage can easily make your games lag, or apps stop because of the CPU’s higher use.

Using a high usage rate will immensely damage your CPU and make your processes shut down and react abnormally. If you want to keep your CPU safe and click, I suggest you take it easy on the usage rate.

Got banned in Discord? Check out our separate post on how to get rid of IP bans on Discord.

How do I fix High CPU Usage On Discord

Discord can use a higher CPU for many reasons, and all of them are straightforward reasons. You can detect and solve these problems quickly on your own. This issue can occur because your CPU takes up too many background processes or does not have a proper power plan. Also, check out our discord text formatting guide to spice up your discord chat messages.new-discord-video-call-updates

You can quickly fix your app’s higher CPU usage issue.

Here are the steps to fix discord high CPU usage:

1. Change the cores of your Computer

Your computer can limit the access of its cores and not give you the device’s full potential. If your Core settings are not maintained, your CPU can be running on one or two cores that limit your processes and makes your CPU usage rate high. Change your core settings correctly to avoid the problem you are facing. Check out our separate post on how to Fix Discord Screen Share No Audio Problems.

Here are the steps to do that:

  1. Search MSConfig on the search bar and go to the system config options
  2. Go to the boost section.
  3. Go to the advanced options and change the core number for your CPU
  4. Click on apply to set the new settings.

2. Disable Hardware acceleration

The hardware acceleration helps you take the stress out of your processor and divide it with your GPU that supports your CPU’s initial stability. You can decrease the higher usage of the CPU with it.

turn-off-hardware-acceleration-discord

You may ask:
Why is discord using GPU?

Discord is using GPU for faster and smoother functions. It is recommended to turn off hardware acceleration if your frame rate drops while intense gaming.

But, although the hardware acceleration helps with the CPU usage to lower down, users benefit from the options when turned off. This option is the issue that creates the problem, and turning it off solves the higher CPU usage. So, turn off your hardware acceleration options.

If you are an Airpod user, you should definitely want to know how to fix AirPods won’t work on discord.

3. End or restart processes

Sometimes a high number of background processes keep your CPU busy, and as a result, your CPU creates a higher usage rate. When you run Discord with background processes turned on, it consumes CPU usage, resulting in the problem you face.discord-end-task

You can quickly end a program or restart a necessary program to help you get a free CPU and avoid a higher usage rate.

Follow these steps to finish a process-

  1. Open the windows task manager.
  2. Click on more details options.
  3. Click the CPU column to sort processes by higher usage rate.
  4. Click on the process you want to clear.
  5. Hit end process to stop it.

4. Upgrade your CPU

You can find yourself facing a higher CPU usage rate issue because of not having a proper CPU that supports all the software you want to use. If you do not have a utilized and efficient CPU, you can not run processes entirely and face problems.

If your Discord app takes up too much CPU usage, lower CPU specs might be the cause. If your CPU is not ready or correct for the process, it will go to a higher clock to run the operation. It causes your PC to lag. So, upgrade your CPU if you do not have the proper specs. So, your discord doesn’t pop up any notifications?

5. Turn on Vsync

Turning on Vsync provides your PC the capability only to use a certain CPU amount for a process. It helps your CPU to preserve processing power for other tasks. In this case, if you turn on the Vsync and run discord, then your CPU will not use extra power while running the job. It will help save 30% power while running discord efficiently.

6. Edit power plan options

Your PC’s power options can ensure enough power usage on tasks that lead your PC to focus on the tasks thoroughly. You can set and change your PC’s power options to set a bar for your CPU usage and halt the extra usage rate.

Here is how you select the power options for your PC-

  1. Click the start menu.
  2. Search for power options edit
  3. Go to the power options and click Show additional plans.
  4. Set it to high performance
  5. Open the task manager to see the results.

7. Check for malware

Malware can affect the CPU to use a higher amount of power by disguising it as a window process. So they can be a possible reason for your CPU to use a higher rate of power while using discord.

You should scan the PC for possible malicious software and get rid of them. If you have malware in your PC, they are likely to consume CPU usage. Getting rid of the malware will help you eliminate the problem you face and free up the CPU.

8. Re-install discord app

There might be some problems your Discord app has, forcing the CPU to run at a higher usage rate. Uninstall your app and then reinstall it to solve the matter quickly. Your problem might go away because of reinstalling the software.

Here are the steps to uninstall discord:

  1. Go to the control panel and search for the Discord app.
  2. Double click to completely uninstall the software.
  3. Download the new version of discord from the official site.

Why does Discord use so much memory?

If Discord is using more RAM, then it’s because you have a memory leak issue. Open the Task Manager, and you will see all the actions that are happening in your RAM. Too much changing in discord server/channels will result in a spike in CPU and RAM.

Press Ctrl+R to refresh discord to fix this problem temporarily.

How much memory should discord be using?

A minimum of 4 GB RAM is required to run discord on Windows 10. However, you can also run discord on Windows with 3 GB of RAM but chances are the app will frequently crash.

A call on discord consumes 190 MB of RAM. You can monitor all the CPU and RAM consumption of discord by launching the Task Manager.

Follow our guide on how to Allow Discord through Firewall

Final Thoughts

Having an app to use a higher CPU usage rate for no reason can be very irritating, but all of the issues are very elementary to solve. You can solve this problem on your own.

Most of the issues are caused by having simple problems or having minor setbacks. If you follow the proper steps, you can quickly solve the matter and start using lower CPU usage rate options for the app efficiently.

I can assure you that the step given above will help you fix your CPU to work correctly. Hopefully, you will follow the guidelines and solve this problem on your own very quickly.

About The Author
Steven Arends is a computer science graduate and tech enthusiast with over 10 years of experience in the field. He has a vast collection of computer hardware and loves exploring the latest advancements. As a contributing author to 10Scopes, Steven shares his expertise to make the world of technology more accessible and easier to understand for all readers.

Leave a Comment